Trying Times (The Valens Legacy Book 14) Read online

  Trying Times

  Published by Jan Stryvant

  Copyright 2019 Jan Stryvant

  Copyright Jan Stryvant 2019

  Cover Credits: eBook Launch (http://ebooklaunch.com/)

  No part of this eBook may be reproduced in any form without expressed, written consent from the author. The material in this story may feature graphic depictions of a sexual or adult nature and is intended for a mature audience only. All characters in this story are fictional and of the legal age of consent for any activities they engage in. Any resemblance between characters, places, or things in this story, and people living or dead, actual places, or events, is purely coincidental. It's fiction; I made it up.

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be copied and given away, or copied and sold, to other people. Got that? No copying, please! If you would like to share this book with another person, it would be really nice if you purchased an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use, please consider purchasing your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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  Jan Stryvant Books:

  The Valens Legacy:

  Black Friday Book 1

  Perfect Strangers Book 2

  Over Our Heads Book 3

  Head Down Book 4

  When It Falls Book 5

  Stand On It Book 6

  Vegas Rules Book 7

  Desperate Measures Book 8

  Secret Treaties Book 9

  It Ain't Easy Book 10

  Red Skies Book 11

  Demon Days Book 12

  Simple Things Book 13

  Trying Times Book 14

  Shadow

  Table of Contents

  Welcome Home

  Recriminations

  Shopping

  Family

  The Game of Foxes

  Tangled Webs

  Washington

  Watching the Watchers

  The Reveal

  Mourning

  Sawyers Antiquities

  Local Hero

  See The Light

  Another Day

  Afterword

  Welcome Home

  Pastor Cross Macrey looked at the rest of the motley group gathered in the large hall as they all looked back at him with hope in their eyes—hope, and a slow burning anger.

  "I've said it before, and I'll say it again!" he said from the makeshift pulpit, continuing his sermon; he'd been whipping them up for an hour now. "These 'lycans' are of the devil! Their blasphemous leaders claim to be God! But we know there is only the one God, our true God, who has sent me here among all of you to lift the veil of their lies, the lies of the government, from your eyes and tell you the truth!

  "Were there any demons running rampant in our country before the lycans came? No! There weren't any 'demons' before those 'lycans' came along! None! Not a one! Ask yourself this: Why are they always out in the desert? The place where they claim these 'demons' are coming from? I'll tell you why! It's because they're in league with the devil! They are the devil! They are evil! Their ways are profane! An insult to the very existence of our Lord God! Look at how they act! Look at how their women comport themselves! Look at how their men strut like they're better than us simple God-fearing folk!

  "And now! The insult of insults! They not only claim to be the saviors of the human race, but they are infecting the young men of our honored military! Poor young and deluded souls, easily led astray by the temptation of their women! Who see not the temptation into which they are being lead! The fiery flames and utter damnation of the Prince of Lies!

  "But no more, my friends! No More! We will stop it! We will stop it here, and we will stop it now! We have gathered together here, today, for this noble cause! We will destroy these demons, these heathens, these foul beasts who pollute our land, who tempt our youth, who destroy our very souls! For I have had a vision! The hosts of the Lord have appeared to me and granted me their favor!"

  Pastor Cross nodded to the men at the side of the hall, who pulled back the cloth covering dozens of stacked crates. Crates full of rifles and many cases of silver ammunition, the one thing proven to kill these hell-spawned abominations.

  "The Lord provides!" someone in the audience yelled as everyone cheered.

  "The Lord does provide!" Pastor Cross called out loudly. The weapons had been delivered to him by a man with a decidedly European accent, but Cross hadn't cared in the slightest. Up until last night they'd been planning on using only clubs and Molotov's for this attack, for this attempt to wake up the fools of this country and let them see the evil that was now growing in their very midst. But the Lord works in mysterious ways, and now, now Cross was certain they'd be able to destroy all of Satan's evil scum.

  "And he has provided us with the means to win our fight! Take a weapon! Our prayer leaders will show you how they work, and then we will all drive up there, and like the Holy Legions of Light, we will carry out the Lord's will!"

  Pastor Cross held up his hands as they all cheered him again. It had been tough these last few years. Until these lycan scum had appeared on the scene, he'd been struggling to fill the coffers of his fellowship, to build his following, to increase his flock. But with the coming of the lycans, his eyes had been opened, and as he'd preached against them, dozens at first, then hundreds had flocked to his cause, his banner, his preaching, his righteous message of cleansing the world of this great evil. A message he, God's chosen leader, had been given the honor and privilege of revealing to the faithful.

  Today would be a glorious day, and his name would be remembered as the savior of God's Earth for centuries to come. He would be honored above and beyond all of the saints who had gone before!

  "Cross! Cross! Cross!" they chanted as they filed over to where the members of his inner circle were handing out the guns. One of the leaders, Franklyn, had advised Pastor Cross not to hand out the ammunition until they got where they were going. There'd be less accidents that way, he'd claimed, so Cross had agreed. He didn't need his flock distracted from the coming battle.

  "Pastor Cross?"

  Pastor Cross turned and saw Betty standing behind him. She was a hot little eighteen-year-old, the eldest child of one of his followers. He smiled at her and thought about last night. Betty was very enamored with him, not unlike several other female members of his congregation. Betty, however, was without a doubt the loveliest of them.

  As the leader it was his right to take them, and his due to pass his seed on to the next generation via the fruit of their loins.

  "Yes, Betty?"

  "Are you sure this is safe?" she asked nervously.

  "Of course it is, my lovely child! The Lord will protect us! Has he not showered us with his grace through the appearance of these weapons? Trust in me, my child! For the Lord is with me and has shown me his great plan for the future!"

  Betty smiled and knelt down before Cross. He was such an inspiring man, such a charismatic figure. His voice, his words, and the confidence! She'd never know a man of such determination and fire before! When she'd caught his eye a few months back, she'd been unable to refuse him anything and had given him all he'd asked.

  "I, I wanted to tell you something, Pastor, something special."

  Pastor Cross smiled down at her. "I know you do, child, I know your heart's desires. We will celebrate after today's great victory! Now rise, my wonderful child, pick up a rifle and join us all in the cause!"

  Betty blushed as she got to her feet, surprised that he knew she was pregnant with his child; she'd only done
the test just now in the women's room. But he was the Lord's chosen, so of course he would know.

  Pastor Cross smiled as she gave him a hug. He wouldn't allow her to kiss him in public; he usually didn't allow even this much of a display of affection between him and the many 'ewes' in this flock of his sheep. But he could understand her excitement. They were about to prevail, so he would overlook it.

  Dismissing her from his mind as she ran off to join the others, he walked over to Geoffrey, the first among his faithful, the man who'd been with him since the beginning.

  "Do we have enough guns?" Pastor Cross asked.

  "Oh, yeah! Those friends of yours, they left us almost half again as many as we needed."

  Pastor Cross scowled. "How many?"

  "Twelve hundred. You know, I was thinking about that ALS group you've been talking to. They said those demons have a place right here in town now, and I got to thinking. I said I'd have to clear it with you, of course. But they said if we gave 'em the guns, they'd be more than happy to use 'em."

  Pastor Cross pondered that a moment. The Anti-Lycan Society had only grown up in the last few days, since the President had commented on that deceitful video the news media had been going on and on about. They weren't the most pious of people—in fact, from what he'd gathered, they seemed to bounce from cause to cause. But their previous organization had been known for violence, he did have extra guns, and the ends always justified the means.

  The Lord worked in mysterious ways, after all.

  Pastor Cross smiled at Geoffrey and nodded. "Good thinking. Surely the extra guns are a sign from the Lord. Tell them they can have them, but make them understand that they must strike today! The effect of both of us attacking these filthy demons will surely drive the fear of God into their hearts and show the people that there are those who aren't afraid to do God's work!"

  Geoffrey nodded and smiled. Grabbing his cellphone, he called his contact over at the Anti-Lycan Society. They'd helped him and the Pastor get this place to meet up and organize their people for today's attack, so he'd been looking for a way to return the favor. Neither he nor Pastor Cross knew Reno all that well, having only driven up here from the Inland Empire yesterday with their followers.

  Geoffrey was still surprised at just how many had come, inspired by Pastor Cross' words. Over eight hundred of the faithful had accompanied them. They'd had to rent several buses because they didn't have enough cars. Hopefully the drivers wouldn't balk when they went back outside to complete the final leg of their trip. If they did, well, Geoffrey was sure the Lord wouldn't be too upset if they forced them to do his work at gunpoint.

  He smiled as his daughter went over to join the others being shown how to work the rifles. She was such a lovely young woman, bringing happiness wherever she went. The men always smiled when they saw her. Even Pastor Cross seemed to appreciate her cheerful demeanor, having taken her under his tutelage with the other men's wives whom he was personally instructing in the ways of the Lord.

  #

  Sean stretched and padded into the kitchen wearing only a pair of shorts. It was the first time they'd allowed him out of the bedroom since he'd gotten home. Looking around, he tried to find a calendar or something; he had no idea what day it was at all.

  "Welcome back, Sean!" Dania said, coming over and hugging him.

  "Yes, welcome back!" Rania said and hugged him as well.

  Sean smiled and hugged them back. "Any idea what day it is?" he asked them, looking around.

  "Saturday, March twenty-third," Rania said, smiling up at him.

  "Thanks," Sean said and gave them each a pat on the back. "Now, how about bringing me out some breakfast? Better make it a lot, because I'm sure the others will be following me shortly."

  "Aww," they both said and gave him another hug.

  "You're too young, and I think I'm maxed out at seven." Sean laughed. Disengaging himself from their grip, he went out to the dining room. He thought about the date, he'd gone through when? The twenty-sixth? That was almost a month ago, had it really been that long?

  It sure hadn't seemed like it.

  "Sean!" his mother Louise came in and hugged him. "It's so good to see you back, safe and sound!"

  Sean hugged her back and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

  "It's good to be back, Mom," he said with a smile.

  "And on your birthday, too! Happy birthday, Son!"

  "Thanks, Mom."

  "What's this I hear about another wife?" his mother asked, giving him the eye.

  Sean grinned. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Still, it made the trip worth it. Probably the only good thing that ever came out of that place."

  "Well, that's nice to know," Sean heard Estrella say. Turning, he smiled at her; she was standing there with Roxy. Sean brought his mother over to the two of them and gave Estrella a kiss, then gave Roxy one next.

  "Mother, this is Estrella, my newest wife. She's a lioness, if you haven't already heard. Estrella, this is my mother, Louise."

  "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Valens," Estrella said, taking Louise's hand. She then got a very surprised expression as Louise stepped forward and gave her a warm hug.

  "Welcome to the family, and thank you for bringing my son home safe and sound!"

  "Umm, actually, it was more him than me I think," Estrella said, looking a little embarrassed.

  "You forget," Louise said, giving Sean one of 'those' looks, "I raised him. I know just how much trouble he can be."

  Sean grinned and turned to Roxy. "So, what are our plans for today?"

  "Well," Roxy said with a smile, giving Louise a hug as she turned Estrella loose, "I'm taking Stell into town, along with Cali and Dae, so we can do some clothes shopping."

  Sean nodded. "I don't know if I'll be able to join you, I've got so much catching up to do with everyone here. I can't believe I was gone almost a month."

  "Twenty-three days, eight hours, and sixteen minutes," Roxy growled.

  Laughing, Sean held up his hands. "Okay, okay, I get it! I'm still in trouble."

  Looking over at the table, Sean saw that the twins were already stacking food on it.

  "How about we sit down and eat breakfast?"

  Everyone nodded, and Estrella immediately grabbed a spot next to Sean, sitting very close to him. Roxy took the seat on Sean's right, sitting a little closer than normal as well.

  "Umm," Estrella said as Sean piled food onto his plate.

  "What?" Sean asked.

  "It's been a long time since I've sat at a dinner table," she said, looking at all the food and plates.

  "Oh, don't worry," Roxy said, and picking up a fork, she started eating off of Sean's place. "Just eat your husband's food and don't worry about a thing."

  Estrella looked at Sean's plate, and then Sean, who was smiling at her.

  "You've got pecking rights now, girl. Time to use 'em!" Roxy laughed.

  She grabbed her fork, and Sean almost laughed as Estrella started eating off of his plate, shoveling it down with a will. She'd obviously worked up an appetite.

  "Damn, when was the last time you ate, Stell?" Daelyn said as she came into the room.

  "About..." Estrella paused to swallow, "fifteen hundred years ago?"

  "Sheesh! And I complain if I go more than half a day!" Daelyn said. Laughing as she reached the table, she pulled one of the big plates of sausages over and just dumped all of it on Sean's plate. "Don't let her starve on us now, Lion-boy!"

  Sean rolled his eyes and carefully picked pieces off of his plate to stick in his mouth while Roxy and Estrella were both busy chewing. He was starving himself suddenly, but there was no way he was going to stop any of the girls from eating off of his plate.

  Daelyn speared something then and sat down to eat it. The others came into the room one at a time, each grabbing something off of his plate, then sat down to eat it and join them for breakfast.

  "I'm surprised you didn't bring the kids," Sean said.

  "It's your first meal back home, we thoug
ht we'd give you at least a little peace." Jolene sighed.

  "Twins running you ragged?" Sean asked.

  "They're little terrors, I tell you!" Jolene said, shaking her head. "Next time, just one please?"

  Sean blinked. "Next time?" He turned to look at her, and Jolene suddenly turned a very bright red.

  "Umm," Jolene said embarrassed, looking down at her plate, "maybe?"

  "Where's the real Jo, and what have you done with her?" Sean teased.

  "I can't help it if I actually love the little monsters," Jolene said, looking up at him. "Though next time I want a daughter. I think I've already had enough sons to last me a lifetime!"

  "Lions or...?" Estrella asked looking over at Sean.

  "Nguvu and Mtawala," Sean whispered back to her.

  Estrella's eyes went wide. "Oh, Jo, you have my sympathies. If you need any help at all, don't hesitate to ask."

  "Thanks, Stell, I appreciate it," Jolene said with a smile.

  "You know them?" Sean asked in another whisper.

  "Oh, you could say that," Estrella whispered back with a grin.

  Sean just shook his head and continued to eat as the girls and his mother made small talk. After a little while, Adam and Ryla came in. Sean was a little shocked, the girls had told him that those two had hit it off, but he was still a surprised to see that Ryla really was hanging off of Adam, who was looking at her with some serious affection as well.

  "Estrella!" Adam said suddenly and veered right over to her, going around Sean in the process, much to his surprise.

  "Adam!" Estrella stood up and grabbed him for a hug.

  "How's my baby brother doing?" she said, teasing him.

  "I'm not that much younger than you, sis!" Adam grumbled.

  "Five hundred years is five hundred years!" Estrella laughed and hugged him again. "It's so good to see you again! Mom tells me you found somebody who actually likes you for a change?"

  Sean watched as Adam suddenly looked incredibly proud of himself.

  "She's wonderful, Sis! I know you're just gonna love her! But before I introduce her, there's this guy standing next to you that you might want to introduce me to first?"